Rock Springs Police Shoot Hatchet-Wielding Man

Rock Springs Police shot a man armed with a hatchet in a convenience store parking lot on Wednesday afternoon, according to Police Chief Dwayne Pacheco.

In a post on the department's Facebook page, the chief said police were called to the 2100 block of Century Boulevard around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on a report of a man smashing car windows with a hatchet.

Pacheco said officers soon found a 26-year-old man with a hatchet in the parking lot of the Kum & Go at 1806 Elk Street. The man was uncooperative and refused to comply with orders from police, so officers shot him with a handgun as well as several bean bag rounds. No officers were injured in the confrontation, and the suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County.

He was later flown to Salt Lake City, Utah, for further medical treatment. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave and the case is being investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.